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Friday, November 27, 2009

This old country home sat out in the field all by itself. It had survived years of rain and snow, heat and endless sunlight, still it beckoned, calling out to the passer-by and traveler alike,"Welcome Home".

Today, as we all know, is the traditional kick-off of the holiday shopping season. I hope everyone will save a little energy for the PAC's traditional Final Friday. What a great opportunity to find unusual and unique gift ideas, enjoy delicious refreshments and fantastic conversation all under one roof. The Pendleton Art Center will be open tonight from 6:00 to 10:00 pm and Second Look Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm I hope all will stop by Studio 313 as you explore the eight floors at the PAC.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

This is a 2.5" by 3.5" miniature. At $20.00 each these miniatures make a perfect gift for birthdays or the HOLIDAYS. Each piece is an original oil painting on primed canvas paper. They are framed and ready to be enjoyed.

5 x 5 Oil on CanvasThis is the second piece that I recently finished for the holidays. Most of these pieces will be available at this Final Friday show at the Pendleton Art Center. This a great opportunity to get a great start on that holiday shopping while enjoying the fun.

5 x 5 Oil on Canvas.
I am doing a number of small pieces and miniatures for the Holiday Season. If you are interested in purchasing any of these pieces I can be contacted at: suzzannafrank@gmail.com
Hope you enjoy these as much as I have enjoyed painting them.
S'anna

Thursday, October 1, 2009

The weekend is a great time to just sleep in and get that extra rest. I have found that as I get older my body wont let me sleep as long. At first that may appear as a "not so great situation" but in reality it has its benefits. That first mist, just burning off as the sun comes up through the trees would have been totally missed if I had crashed a little longer this morning. Enjoying that first cup of coffee in the coolness of the morning, hearing the birds stir, what a perfect way to start the day. I hope you enjoy this piece and as always I would love to hear from you.S'anna

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

This Little Yellow Bowl has been hanging around the house for years. I actually was cleaning things out of the closet and getting things together to give to Goodwill. This Little Yellow bowl, along with a number of other pieces that I had made while taking pottery lessons, were sitting on the ledge. Its shape and color was so simple ,yet refined. I loved the thickness and non-perfection of this piece. To say the least, it now has a permanent space in my home. Maybe its time to think about throwing pottery again?

A special Thank You to all who came out for the Pendleton Art Center's Final Friday art walk. The turn out for the Silent Auction was great. As always I enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new ones. If you missed last nights Walk many of us will be at the Essex Studio this coming Friday and Saturday from 6:00 to 11:00PM. Many of the artist are gearing up for the Holidays with special offers and new pieces. Hope to see you there. Further information concerning upcoming art walks at either Essex Studio's or The Pendleton Art Center is available at:http://www.essexstudios.comhttp://www.pendletonstudio313.blogspot.comhttp://www.pendletonartcenter.com

"The Field" is a 16"x20" oil painting. In the country around Cincinnati the fields are full of wild flowers during the summer. The colors of these flowers seem to come from every combination on the Color Wheel. Only if my garden would look so wonderful.I have even tried gathering seeds in the fall and dispersing them in a few beds. The only luck I had was with Queen Ann's Lace, And the tall Joe Pye weed. I'm letting them reseed on their own this year and hope for better luck in the spring.

I finished this piece last night and tried to get a quick shot of it when the sun came back out. I love pears. They are so sweet, no matter how you prepare them. They are a great desert with a little sweet wine and cheese, like we use to have in Italy. So far the squirrels have gotten to more of the ones on the tree than I have. I'm always looking for good recipes to use them in. If you have a favorite recipe you would like to share,add it to the comments or email it to me. I look forward to trying it.As Always,

It has rained here in Cincinnati since Tuesday evening. Yesterday it looked more like a fall day in October than a mid-summer day in July. The air turned cool and I even had to close a number of windows. Hopes were high that when we got up this morning summer would of returned. It wasn't in the cards for us. Finally at 2:30 this afternoon the sun peeked through the clouds. I grabbed my camera and got a few shots of these fantastic sunflowers. Nothing rivals the summer colors of sunflowers. I truly understand why Van Gogh painted so many different arrangements of the "sunflower" What they lack in aroma (once inside they have an unpleasant smell to me) is certainly outdone by their remarkable ability to present an almost unlimited range of yellows and golds.I welcome their reminder of summer as the clouds return and the sky turns gray. Ah, to long for the hot, sunny days of summer!

I first saw the common red (corn) Poppy while in Europe. They are in the fields in the early spring. I was able to order some seeds this spring and will sow them this fall. I'm looking forward to their arrival next spring. I had always called them Flanders Poppies and can remember small ones being sold for a donation on Memorial Day when I was a child. It has been a long time since I have seen them.
This memory drove me to research the story behind their name. It seems that after a major war red poppies seem to pop up in the battlefields and soldiers graves. The heavy turning of the soil from the battle and bombardment keeps the soil turned over and the dormant seeds sprout. The most detailed example of this occurred on Flanders Field, Belgium. A Major John McCrae wrote a poem after experiencing the death of a friend and former student. The poem "In Flanders Fields" was nearly not published.Major McCrae threw it away and it was picked up and submitted by a fellow officer.The last line of the poem is most telling;

" If you break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields."
Lest we not forget those who have given their all for our freedom.